Palmdale man sentenced for illegally importing Roman Empire-era mosaic from Syria

A Palmdale man received a three-month prison sentence Thursday after he illegally imported a nearly 2,000-year-old mosaic from Syria, falsely labeling it as a shipment of ceramic tiles, prosecutors said.

A federal jury in Los Angeles found Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi , 57, guilty of one count of entry of falsely classified goods following a five-day trial last year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice .

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U.S. District Judge George W. Hu also granted a preliminary application from the government to seize the historical artifact, which is valued at $450,000.

The mosaic is about 15 feet long, 8 feet tall and weighs 2,000 pounds, DOJ spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said in a written statement. It dates back to the era of the Roman Empire and depicts Roman demigod Hercules rescuing Prometheus.

Alcharihi had the mosaic shipped to the Port of Long Beach from Turkey in August 2015, prosecutors said. It was then taken by truck to his home.

"Alcharihi lied to his customs broker and caused it to falsely declare that he was importing ceramic tiles from Turkey valued at less than $600," McEvoy stated. "Alcharihi paid $40,000 to restore the mosaic and the government’s appraisal expert valued the mosaic at $450,000."

"The false classifications occurred months after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria , particularly by the terrorist organizations Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusrah Front," McEvoy added.

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The artifact has been stored at a secure facility in Los Angeles since it was taken from Alcharihi's home in March 2016, officials said.

The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI's Crime Art Crime Team and U.S. Homeland Security Investigation.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Palmdale man sentenced for illegally importing Roman Empire-era mosaic from Syria